Annotation:John Drury (1)
Back to John Drury (1)
JOHN DRURY [1]. AKA and see "Oh! Will You Sit in the Bower?" AKA - "Planxty Drury (1)." Irish, Air or Planxty (6/8 time, "lively"). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Cranitch, O'Neill/1850): AAB (Barnes): AABB (Brody, Complete Collection..., O'Neill/Krassen, O'Sullivan, Tubridy). Composed by blind Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738) to celebrate the marriage of John Drury of Kingland, Co. Roscommon, to Elizabeth Goldsmith in 1724, according to Donal O'Sullivan (1958). The last verse of O'Carolan's song praises those who marry for love, and not money. John was the elder son of Lieutenant Edward Drury of Kingsland, at Lough Gara, near Boyle, County Rosommon, and Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Francis Gore. His bride was the daughter of John Goldsmith, Ballyoughter, County Rosommon, and was the first cousin of renowned author Oliver Goldsmith. They were descendents of English folk from Surrey, including Sir William Drury, Lord Deputy of Ireland in Queen Elizabeth's reign, and were large landholders in the counties of Roscommon and Carlow. John's wife, Elizabeth, on the other hand, was from a family of rather modesty means. Unfortunately, the union was cut short by John's death the next year, in May, 1725, at age 20. He managed to father a daughter with Elizabeth, however, and it was she who inherited all the lands of her father, which thus left the Drury family. The fortunes of the Drurys eclipsed due to mismanagement and litigation, and the next generation was poor (O'Sullivan, 1958).
Source for notated version: fiddler Eugene O'Donnell (County Derry, Ireland, and Phila. Pa.) [Brody].
Printed sources: Barnes (English Country Dance Tunes, vol. 2), 2005; p. 68 (appeas as "Jubilee at Eindhoven", the title of a dance by Philippe Callens set to the tune). Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; p. 219. Complete Collection of Carolan's Irish Tunes, 1984; No. 42, pp. 46-47. Cranitch (Irish Fiddle Book), 1996; p. 100. O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; p. 243. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 691, p. 127. O'Sullivan (Carolan: The Life, Times and Music of an Irish Harper), 1958; No. 42. Tubridy (Irish Traditional Music, vol. 1), 1999; p. 39.
Recorded sources: Claddagh CC18, Derek Bell- "Carolan's Receipt." Green Linnet GLCD 1015, Eugene O'Donnell - "Slow Airs and Set Dances" (1978). Green Linnet GLCD 1128, Brendan Mulvihill & Donna Long - "The Morning Dew" (1993). Fretless 200A, Yankee Ingenuity- "Kitchen Junket." Island ILPS9432, The Chieftains - "Bonaparte's Retreat" (1976). June Appal 014, John McCutcheon- "The Wind That Shakes the Barley."
Back to John Drury (1)